Bulgaria presidential runoff: final CEC count gives Iotova the win — 57.566% with all protocols processed
Bulgaria's presidential runoff now has its completed count: the Central Election Commission announced results with 100% of polling-station protocols processed — Iliana Iotova and Kiril Valchev 1,093,852 votes (57.566%) to Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev's 750,251 (39.483%), with 56,080 voters (2.951%) choosing "I do not support any of the candidates" (CEC figures as announced and carried by Bulgarian National Radio, with Novinite's CEC data and DW in agreement). Gyurov accepted the result — "this is how Bulgarian citizens have voted" — and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Yotova. She becomes Bulgaria's seventh president and the first woman elected to the office; her five-year term begins on 22 January 2027. Turnout was low, at roughly 27–29% in the reports read.
Key points
- Final official count (CEC, announced with 100% of polling-station protocols processed): Iotova–Valchev 1,093,852 votes (57.566%), Gyurov–Kandev 750,251 (39.483%), "I do not support any of the candidates" 56,080 (2.951%) — a margin of 343,601 votes (BNR; Novinite CEC data; DW).
- Gyurov accepted the result — "this is how Bulgarian citizens have voted" — and Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Yotova; she becomes Bulgaria's seventh president and first woman elected to the office, for a term beginning 22 January 2027.
- Earlier stages pointed the same way, narrower at first: exit polls at the 20:00 close gave Iotova 50.7–52.5% to 43.4–44.7% (BNR), and Sunday night's partial CEC count (17.39% of protocols) gave 57.943% to 39.007%.
- First round (25 October): Iotova–Valchev 34.76%, Gyurov–Kandev 31.95%, from 27 tickets, on record-low turnout of about 23%.
- The choice was framed by opposed positions on Ukraine: Iotova favours dialogue with Moscow and opposes military aid; Gyurov is pro-Western and pro-Ukraine (each side's position, as reported by DW).
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What happened
Iotova has been acting president since January 2026, when she succeeded Rumen Radev — whose vice-president she had been — after his resignation. A win in the count would make her Bulgaria's first elected female president, for a five-year term beginning when the current term ends on 22 January 2027.
The runoff was close from the start: the first round left the two tickets under three points apart, and the exit polls keep that closeness — a lead for Iotova in every poll published, but by single digits, with turnout still low (26.8% in Myara's poll, 29.1% in Alpha Research's).
Both sides, in their own words
Both sides heard. Neither believed for free. Publishing a side's version is not endorsing it — the claim checks below are where verdicts live.
Side A · Iliana Iotova
- The acting president, who took office in January 2026 after Rumen Radev resigned and is backed by Radev's Progressive Bulgaria, favours dialogue with Moscow and opposes military aid to Ukraine (DW and AP reporting of the contest).
- If the exit polls are borne out by the count, she would become Bulgaria's first elected female president.
Side B · Andrey Gyurov
- The former caretaker prime minister is backed by the pro-Western opposition, voiced strong support for Ukraine and signed a security-cooperation agreement with Kyiv as caretaker prime minister (DW).
- His campaign has appealed a Central Election Commission decision rejecting claims that state resources were used to support Iotova — a campaign allegation, not a finding (AFP reporting via the runoff coverage).
Independently verified
Bulgaria's Central Election Commission announced the completed runoff count on Monday 2 November, with 100% of polling-station protocols processed: Iotova–Valchev received 1,093,852 votes (57.566%) to Gyurov–Kandev's 750,251 votes (39.483%), with 56,080 voters (2.951%) choosing "I do not support any of the candidates". Iotova carried 28 of the country's electoral districts; Gyurov led in Sofia's 23rd and 24th districts and in Kardzhali, and led among voters abroad (56.23% to 41.55% on more than 99% of overseas protocols counted). The runoff was held on Sunday 1 November 2026 between the two tickets that led the 25 October first round — Iotova–Valchev 34.76% and Gyurov–Kandev 31.95% — from a field of 27 candidate tickets, on first-round turnout of about 23%, a record low. Gyurov accepted the result. "We accept the results as they stand, surprising as the discrepancy between the exit polls and the parallel vote count may be. Ultimately, this is how Bulgarian citizens have voted," he said after the runoff; his running mate Georgi Kandev urged Bulgarians to stay vigilant and hold the winners to their promises. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Yotova on X and said she looked forward to cooperation on security and defence, competitiveness and energy independence. Yotova, for her part, said after the count that "people believe that dialogue can lead to good decisions". The contest was framed by the two campaigns' opposed positions on Russia's war in Ukraine: Iotova favours dialogue with Moscow and opposes military aid to Ukraine; Gyurov is backed by the pro-Western opposition and supports Ukraine.Not yet verified
Nothing outstanding.Claim by claim
Why this label: Verified as the commission's announced completed count: Bulgarian National Radio, the public broadcaster, published the CEC's announcement with 100% of protocols processed and the exact vote totals (read in full in this pass; BNR prints the shares rounded as 57.56% and 39.48%); Novinite's CEC data carries the same totals at 57.566% and 39.483%, and DW reports the same winner at 57.6% to 39.5%. This claim replaces the near-final stage (99.95% of protocols) in place — earlier stages live in the update history, per the replace-don't-stack rule.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The first-round figures are the Central Election Commission figures carried by BTA and reported by DW and AP, and are restated by BNR in its runoff coverage; the 27 tickets and the runoff pairing are stated by BNR directly, read in this pass.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Gyurov's acceptance is his own statement, published by BNR (read in full in this pass) and reported by AP; von der Leyen's congratulation is reported by AP from her X post. DW's full report (read in full in this pass) confirms the winner and the 57.6% to 39.5% shares but does not itself carry the acceptance or the congratulation, so it is not cited for this claim. These are the candidates' and the Commission president's stated positions, carried as such.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Show all claims (1 more)
Why this label: This is each side's position, carried as a position: DW's runoff report describes Iotova as the Moscow-friendly incumbent who opposes military aid to Ukraine and Gyurov as the pro-Western opposition-backed candidate who signed a security-cooperation agreement with Kyiv as caretaker prime minister. Positions are not evidence about the result.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- The runoff pairing, the first-round figures and the 27-ticket field — from BNR and the CEC figures carried by BTA/DW/AP.
- The commission's completed count, announced with 100% of protocols processed: Iotova–Valchev 57.566% (1,093,852 votes) to Gyurov–Kandev 39.483% (750,251), with 2.951% supporting no one (CEC announcement via BNR, read in full; Novinite and DW agree).
- Gyurov accepted the result in his own words (BNR; AP; DW), and von der Leyen congratulated Yotova — the result is not being contested in the reports read.
What we don't know yet
- The exact final turnout: BNR puts it at approximately 27% and DW at close to 29% — both low — and no single certified turnout figure was read directly from the commission in this pass.
- The final overseas breakdown: more than 99% of protocols from polling stations abroad had been counted in BNR's report (Gyurov 56.23%, Iotova 41.55% there), so the completed overseas split is still to be published in full.
- What Yotova's win means in office — her post-count remarks promise dialogue and national consensus; no policy decisions have yet followed the result.
Why it matters
Bulgaria is an EU and NATO member on the Black Sea, and this runoff was fought over its direction on Russia's war in Ukraine — dialogue with Moscow versus firm alignment with Kyiv and the West. Who holds the presidency sets that tone for five years, even in a largely ceremonial office.
Background
First round: Iotova–Valchev 34.76%, Gyurov–Kandev 31.95% from 27 tickets, on record-low turnout of about 23% — neither ticket won outright, so the top two went to a runoff.
Iotova, Rumen Radev's vice-president since 2017, assumed the presidency after Radev resigned — the first Bulgarian vice-president to assume the office intra-term.
Polls close in Bulgaria; BNR publishes the Myara and Alpha Research exit polls putting Iotova ahead. The official CEC result is due within three days.
Update history
No silent edits. Every change is written here, with its time.
- Latest
Final count — the result is settled (queue #954): the Central Election Commission announced the completed count with 100% of polling-station protocols processed — Iotova–Valchev 1,093,852 votes (57.566%) to Gyurov–Kandev 750,251 (39.483%), 56,080 (2.951%) supporting no one (BNR, read in full; Novinite CEC data and DW agree). Gyurov accepted the result in his own words, and von der Leyen congratulated Yotova. The lead claim has been edited in place from the near-final stage and upgraded to Verified; this story is now Published. An Al Jazeera English video of the win is attached (oEmbed-verified).
Checking in progress — near-final count replaces the partial stage (queue #900): Reuters, read in full, reports the Central Election Commission's near-final results with 99.95% of precinct protocols processed — Iotova–Valchev 57.58% (about 1.1 million votes) to Gyurov–Kandev 39.47% (about 749,500), with 2.95% for "I support no one"; DW and France 24 also report Iotova's win. The lead claim has been edited in place to the near-final figures and stays Not yet verified: the commission's formal final announcement, due within three days, is still outstanding, and that awaited announcement is carried in what we don't know rather than held as a reason to delay this update. This story stays in Checking.
Checking in progress — first official count replaces the exit-poll stage: Bulgaria's Central Election Commission (CIK) results portal, retrieved live at 21:33 UTC, shows Iotova–Valchev on 182,002 votes (57.943%) to Gyurov–Kandev's 122,522 (39.007%) with 17.39% of polling-station protocols reporting (CIK timestamp 23:00 Sofia); Demócrata's report of the first official data (57–59% at about 20% counted) is consistent. The lead claim has been edited in place to the counted figures and stays Not yet verified: a partial count is not the final, certified result, which is due within three days.
Show earlier updates (1)
Story published in Checking state (queue #643 and #776). Basis: BNR's published Myara and Alpha Research exit polls, read directly, with Reuters and Market Links/bTV in the same range; the official CEC count is still to come and the exit-poll lead is labelled Not yet verified.